Brussels, 08/10/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 8 October, the European Commission announced that the Canadian authorities had given their green light on 1 October to the import of Belgian pears on Canadian territory. The opening of the Canadian market should partly relieve Belgian pear producers who have been hard hit by the recent closure of the Russian market to their exports.
The opening of the Canadian market to Belgian pears is the result of joint efforts from the Belgian industry, the Belgian government and the European Commission, the latter states in a press release. Similar authorisation has already been given by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to the export of fruit and vegetables from France, Spain, the Netherlands and Portugal. EU member states wanting to export fruit and vegetables to Canada must indeed undergo a long and fastidious approval process. To export its pears to Canada, Belgium introduced a request to the CFIA in 2010. In order to evaluate the Belgian request, the CFIA undertook a detailed assessment of the phytosanitary risk, even if trade in fruit from orchards in France and the Netherlands had already been approved. Detailed protocols were agreed between the parties on the basis of this assessment in order to exclude any risk for Canadian horticulture. Belgian pears can be sold in Canada as soon as administrative formalities have been completed. Any quantities imported will nevertheless have to be inspected over a transitional period.
Hit by the Russian embargo since the summer, which the Commission states were “imposed for entirely political reasons and in flagrant violation of the WTO rules”, the EU is in search of new openings for its fruit and vegetables. The Commission has stepped in at the highest political level with the Canadian government in order to conclude the file on the export of Belgian pears to Canada for the 2014 harvest. The file was discussed between European Commissioner for Trade Karel De Gucht and the Canadian ministers for Trade and Agriculture, Ed Fast and Gerry Ritz respectively, on the sidelines of the EU-Canada summit on 26 September.
With over 250,000 tonnes of pears exported worldwide every year, Belgium is the biggest exporter of pears. Over recent years, 40% of Belgian pear exports went to Russia, where consumers particularly appreciate the Conference pear variety. (EH)